Cane molasses

Cane molasses is a by-product  during  manufacture of sugar from  sugarcane. From each ton of sugarcane approximately 25-50 kg of molasses are produced. Cane molasses must contain atleast 43% sugars and have a density of not less than 79.5o brix.

Nutritive value

The crude protein ranges from 1-2% and TDN from 55-60%. Although low in phosphorus, it is an excellent source of other minerals. Molasses is deficient in thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin A and vitamin D, but it is rich in niacin and pantothenic acid.

Inclusion level

Cane molasses is often included in manufacture of feeds and urea molasses mineral blocks. In ruminant rations molasses is restricted to the level of 10-15% of the ration. Excessive amount of molasses will cause the feed to become messy and unmanageable as well as create digestive disturbance.

Deleterious factors

When molasses is fed in  very large quantities molasses toxicity  may develop, which  is characterized by  neurological  defects such as incoordination  and blindness. The clinical syndrome is identical to polio encephalomalacia or cerebrocortical necrosis associated with induced thiamin deficiency in ruminants. Molasses toxicity has a complicated etiology and involves an inadequate supply  of  glucose for  the brain, induced thiamin  deficiency and rumen stasis. Inadequate glucose status occurs because molasses fermentation produces a high ratio of butyrate to propionate as end products. Butyrate is ketogenic and propionate is glucogenic. An excess of butyrate relative to propionate results in inadequate glucose synthesis and a shortage of glucose for brain metabolism. Molasses toxicity occurs when the roughage component of the diet is inadequate. Low fiber intake results in rumen stasis and the proliferation of slow growing microbes that produce thiaminase destroying thiamin. The combined thiamin glucose deficiency results in brain damage. Provision of adequate roughage is effective in preventing molasses toxicity.